I think a woman’s ultimate secret to aging exquisitely, at our stage of life, is to use her wisdom to identify her inner needs. If she is feeling an emotional restlessness, the fear of striking out into the new should never be allowed to overtake her desire to do so. Opening one’s mind to all possibilities and reaching out to new endeavors is 100% uplifting and gratifying and how to age exquisitely.

I know the same old, same old is safe.  But, if you are feeling dragged down by routine, which in my vocabulary is the lack of mentally enriching yourself, then you, my darlings, are not aging exquisitely!

Lack of mental enrichment is guaranteed to do one thing… put you in a rut!

My sense of what constitutes leading an enriched and uplifting life may be at opposite ends of the totem pole from yours. But no matter what your idea of exciting and enriching is, adventure begins when you have the nerve to swing into action.

Examples of how to age exquisitely

Now, on to my story about two women who swung into action and into the unknown! I write this story with a smile.

Last week an email arrived in my inbox from a woman whose name I did not recognize.  She described herself as a long time writer, reporter, author, blogger and speaker.

Here is her email:

“Good Morning, Honey, I am enjoying your blogs which a friend and colleague told me about, helpful, funny, joyful. My latest book is a shared endeavor with a long-time writing partner. It details our shared journey after we each became single; we also write a weekly blog. We wonder if you’d consider posting one of our blogs and citing our forthcoming book (out this summer) and doing a blurb for us because old-fashioned female- sharing counts!”

She thanked me, posted her phone number and mentioned she had lived in Chicago for eight years.

My response:

“Good Morning Barbara! Let’s talk! We have a lot in common.  I will give you a buzz. When is it convenient?”

We were two strangers. One living on the East Coast and one living on the West Coast.  No matter the geography, our minds were on the same road… one that is open to all possibilities! She had the ability to leap into the unknown. She had no idea if I would answer her email. She had no idea if I would accept her proposal.  She dared to open herself up to new sights! That is aging exquisitely, darlings!

Because I tap, tap, tap and leap, leap, leap I naturally allowed the door to open for a dialogue. In my wildest dream what happened is so marvelous that at times, over the next few days, it took my breath away! I felt all types of emotion. Joy! Disbelief! Friendship! Spirituality! Triumph! Jubilation! Adventure! I was truly aging exquisitely!

After several emails and one long phone conversation, I knew we had established a new friendship that could endure because we have communality in so many areas. I was deliriously happy because it was all so surprisingly unexpected.  A new friend out of the blue with whom I could relate.

Our experience, because we both leap, is serendipitous (coincidental, lucky, unexpected, and fortuitous) to say the least! It reinforces the importance to identify with your inner self and go for the unknown so you can feel yourself age exquisitely.  What I am saying to you in a nutshell... a repetitious lifestyle leads to boredom and can eventually lead to depression. Not too exquisite!

Here are just a few vignettes through email and phone:

• Barbara learned of my blog through one of her close friends. I asked her who. “Lisa,” she replied. I almost fell off my chair! Lisa is my very close friend! “OMG, I replied. I cannot believe how small this world is.” Darlings, I was shocked and overjoyed.
• Barbara is speaking at a salon about her newly released book on gardening in Chicago on April 14th.  I will, just by chance, be in Chicago for a short visit home on April 14th!
• Barbara and her writing partner have asked me to write on the back cover of her new book coming out this summer. How exciting!
• We both went to camp in Maine!
• She belonged to the Synagogue where Shelly and I belong!
• We both have two daughters.
• We have the same friends. Out of the blue, she mentioned to me that her friends, Ellen and Nick, were in Palm Springs. I told her, “OMG! They are our friends, too! We had dinner last week and Ellen and I are having lunch tomorrow! I cannot believe we have two of the same close girlfriends and you and I just met!

On April 15th, Barbara and her ‘beau’ (I am smiling because that is her name for her significant other), Lisa and Peter, Ellen and Nick and another couple, she wants us to meet are having dinner, in my beautiful Chicago!

And, darlings, that this is just the beginning of something marvelous between us. I just know!

Writing this story gives me an adrenaline rush! The future is bright and that, my darlings, is what this passage in our lives is all about…staying vital women is how to age exquisitely.